There are both performance and green challenges when it comes to bonding diverse materials in industrial assembly operations. Surface Treatment is widely used for assembly applications because of its effectiveness, low cost and environmental friendliness.
Common plasma treating and flame treating assembly applications include: automotive head lamps, medical devices such as needle hubs, and household appliance gaskets and components. Essentially any surface that requires improved bonding capacity is a candidate for surface treatment.
In-line surface treatment technologies can clean, micro etch and functionalize surfaces. This removes surface contaminants and creates bonding sites for interfacial adhesion. In some cases plasma and flame surface treatment can eliminate the need for hazardous surface primers or solvent adhesives.
How air plasma promotes bond strength
When a surface is placed under an air plasma discharge, electrons bombard the treatment surface with energies two to three times that necessary to break the molecular bonds on the surface of most substrates. The resulting free radicals react rapidly with other free resulting in crosslinking. Oxidative affects on treated surfaces increases surface energy as a result of polar groups being created on the surface.
Get a free surface treating technology comparison chart with video examples contrasting flame and plasma treatment.